Alpine Scramble - Tirzah Peak

After the fun bike ride and nice 1.5 mile hike up the trail to the park boundary, this trip is 98% old growth forest scrambling and 2% rock.  There are almost no views along the route or at the summit due to the dense forest. 

The "100 Peaks in Mount Rainier" route description is solid.  We hiked the trail to the park boundary, but did not see the sign they mentioned in the guide.  Gaia GPS was SUPER useful.  I tracked the route up and mostly followed it back down. 

The only "crux" type moves are 1) At 4000' you hit cliffs on the ridge and the right/south side looks sketchy.  On the way up we traversed way over to the left (north side) through dense brush.  On the way down we ended up on the south side and it went fine and was much cleaner and more attractive, but required a 50' descent to pass below cliffs. I recommend the south side both ways.  2) At 4700' you see a notch at the top of a very steep slope/gully that from below looks marginal.  It goes just fine.

The bike ride and the swim in the pool at the bottom of Chenuis Falls were the best part of the day. 

Due to the number of trees you have to climb over and bash through, I would not do this trip if it is very wet.  The risk of slipping is too great.  Fortunately, there was no devils club, maple or alder. The best day for this trip is a cloudy, but dry summer day.

FYI:  In our summit photo (see above), Rainier is in the background through the trees, but did not show up in the photo due to the lighting.